A group of
soldiers are dropped off in the Scottish wilderness as part
of an exercise where they must engage a special forces unit.
Things go from bad to worse when they come across the other
group torn to shreds and quickly find themselves fighting
for their lives against an unknown enemy. I must admit I had
never even heard of this movie until I stumbled across it
being advertised by
Shout! Factory as a special collectors edition release.
Unlike their brethren of Vampires and Zombies, for whatever
reason Werewolves don't get a lot of love. Besides the
standard bearer of American Werewolf in London, most
people probably couldn't name another entry in the genre. So
I was excited to watch this and see what it had to offer.
Thankfully, it didn't take long for me to be thoroughly
engaged by it. I felt like I had been warped back in time to
the early 80's. Despite being taken from a 2K scan, the
video leaves a lot to be desired. While I don't have an
issue with film grain, this one is extremely grain heavy and
dark visually. And yet, it somehow works for the movie.
Couple that with old school creature effects (no CGI here)
and again you'd swear this was made 30 years ago. Imagine my
shock when I found out afterwards that it was made in 2002.
In addition to a pretty decent cast with some familiar
British faces the story draws a lot of inspiration from
Aliens. Being a horror flick, there's the usual gaps in
logic but not enough to detract from the overall story. A
pleasant surprise.

In the near
future, monstrous creatures begin rising from the oceanic
depths and unleash devastation upon mankind. To combat them
massive robots are built, controlled by two pilots who's
minds are merged into one via a neural link. Mankind
eventually gets the upper hand and for years the threat is
kept at bay. Until one day when a new generation of monsters
emerge and the robotic guardians are once again called upon
to save the day. Big dumb fun nicely sums up this movie. A
bit of a departure from Director del Toro (Pans Labyrinth)
in terms of the scale of the action. He takes a Japanese
genre - kaiju - and brings it to Western audiences in the
best way possible. Visually the film is stunning and filmed
in a 1.85 aspect ratio which is rare for an action film -
but the net effect is it fills your TV with it's eye popping
goodness. On the audio front it's no slouch either filling
the air with it's aural assault. If you've been looking for
a movie to use as your home theater reference disc, this is
it. But beyond the technical merits the film also brings a
fairly decent emotional tie in with the two main characters.
The hero (Hunnam) who having lost his brother in a previous
attack now finds himself paired up with a rookie pilot
(Kikuchi). He must overcome his fear of her sharing the same
fate as his brother and she must overcome her childhood
trauma at the hands of the monsters she now finds herself
fighting. Throw in del Toro regular Perlman and Idris Elba
as the commanding officer with a strange fatherly affection
for the rookie pilot and you have a great cast. Forget the
last two god awful Godzilla movies, instead fire this up,
sit back, and let the on screen mayhem envelope you.

Caleb (Gleeson)
is a young computer programmer at a large multinational
company. One day he wins a trip to work with the reclusive
and brilliant owner (Isaac). Calib is tasked with
determining if the company's secret breakthrough Ava, a
robot with artificial intelligence, is truly sentient or
not. However, the lines become blurred as he soon becomes
enamored of her and begins to question whether something
almost human should be kept in a laboratory prison. Steven
Hawking is on record as having said "The development of full
artificial intelligence could spell the end of the human
race." While I don't think I currently have anything to fear
from my iMac, it is somewhat unnerving that the world's most
brilliant person considers that to be the greatest threat to
humanity. With that thought as a backdrop this film explores
the possibility of our creations rising up against us as
well as the philosophical question of whether something not
human but self aware should have the same basic rights that
we do. At a more base level it's also an excellent thriller
with an unexpected twist. Beyond that I absolutely loved the
camera work - everything filmed in a cool, detached manner
with plenty of wide shots. Couple the visuals with a story
consisting of a handful of characters in a shut off, almost
claustrophobic setting, and a sense of building dread and
you have a very Kubrickian film, part 2001, part The
Shining. While I tend to cringe when reviewers drop the K
bomb, here it is definitely appropriate. One of the best
additions to the sci-fi genre to come along in awhile.
Highly recommended.

Jay (Monroe)
finally gives into her adolescent urges one evening in the
back of her boyfriend's (Weary) car. While pondering the
meaning of life during her post-coital bliss she is suddenly
chloroformed by her lover and wakes up tied to a chair in an
abandoned car parkade. There she is told that he has passed
on a terrible curse to her- that she will be relentlessly
pursued by an apparition that can take the form of anyone
until either it kills her or she passes the curse on to
someone else. I went into this without knowing anything
about it which made what unfolded all the more satisfying.
After wallowing in endless crap releases for years replete
with over the top gore and cheap jump scares the horror
genre gets a much needed boost of quality filmmaking. Quick
edits and gimmicks are replaced with an overwhelming sense
of dread that builds and builds and old school camera work.
The way the camera follows the kids as they walk through
suburbia is reminiscent of the movie Halloween and
its obvious that at a certain level the film is paying
homage to it. But ultimately it comes down to the cast to
sell what on the surface is a ridiculous premise. And they
are up to the task with Maika Monroe being the standout.
More importantly, they come across as believable without
resorting to tired stereotypes about teen youth. Sex
obviously plays the central role both in receiving the curse
and in lifting it and the equating of sex with teenage
tragedy is a staple of 80's horror. Consider this then to be
retro-horror of the absolute best kind.

Black Sea (VOD) - Jul
23, 2015

Director:
Kevin Macdonald

Main Stars: Jude Law, Scoot McNairy, Ben Mendelsohn, Tobias
Menzies

Rating: 3.5 out 5

Robinson (Law)
is a gruff submariner who's spent more of his life under
water than on land. His life is turned upside down when some
corporate shill half his age tells him the ocean salvage
company he's worked for all those years no longer needs his
services. Back home he ponders a future with no prospects
until one day while drowning his sorrows he hears of the
discovery of a Nazi U-boat found at the bottom of the Black
Sea, rumored to be filled with gold. It’s his for the taking
if he can manage to keep his hastily assembled crew of
misfits from killing each other while avoiding the Soviet
navy above their heads. Think Ocean's Eleven meets
Das Boot. I found the concept intriguing and despite
some plot contrivances and a complete disregard for physics
at the end it managed to thoroughly engage me from beginning
to end. Filmed inside a real Soviet submarine, the
claustrophobic setting enhances the non-stop tension. With
not much else to look at, the focus is on the performances
and the actors do a good job conveying the fear and paranoia
they face. McNairy is especially great as the slimy
corporate minder and one can't help but compare him to the
equally reprehensible Carter Burke in Aliens. But,
some clichés are present, and character development takes a
bit of a back seat in order to move the story along. Not the
best thriller out there, but effectively entertaining with a
great cast and unique setting.

Heidi (Zombie)
is a recovering drug addict and member of the late night
crew at the local radio station. One day a mysterious record
shows up which they play on the air, releasing a hellish
cacophony of otherworldly notes. Soon after Heidi starts to
lose her grip on reality as she is increasingly haunted by
disturbing visions. I simply couldn't wait for Halloween and
had to see this. While watching, I kept thinking to myself
'This is a Rob Zombie film'??? Beautiful is an apt
description as it's visually gorgeous to behold. Everything
is cast in an eerie and soft light which works well with the
retro look of the movie. Retro would also describe the feel
of the film. Unlike most of the modern day dreck that passes
as horror, the viewer isn't bombarded with sequence after
sequence of quick edits designed to make you jump. Instead
everything is presented in a cold, detached viewpoint and
there's an underlying sense of dread that slowly continues
to build until the movie reaches its conclusion. There's so
many nods to and cues from previous greats. It's as if
Kubrick, Polanski and Ken Russell had a baby together. As
for the casting, Patricia Quinn and Ken Foree were pleasant
surprises. I recognized Foree instantly as he is an icon,
but it took me awhile to realize who Quinn was (think Rocky
Horror). About the only issue I had was the ending wasn't
quite as good as I feel it should have been - still, the
positives more than outweigh the negatives. Critics
automatically dismiss his films as garbage, and his fan base
likely will be divided as it's a significant departure from
his earlier works. That said, I think this is easily his
best effort and a great addition to the genre.

Mortimer (Dancy)
is a young doctor in Victorian England struggling to convince his
peers of the need to rise above medically archaic practices
and embrace the new science. After being fired from his
latest stint he finds work with an elderly Doctor whose
practice consists of relieving women from their affliction
of 'Hysteria'. He soon finds himself swamped with eager
patients to the point where his hand and arm ache
constantly. He also finds himself torn between the Doctor's
two daughters, one a proper lady, and the other a fiery
woman with an independent spirit prone to railing against
the establishment. I'll admit, the main reason I sought out
this movie was due to the subject matter. Loosely based on
real events, Hysteria was a catchall diagnosis they used to
give to women who were, well, simply put, sexually
frustrated. Eventually some clever inventor inadvertently
created the vibrator which was quickly employed to relieve
all those poor women of their suffering. Despite the
salacious overtones, the whole subject is handled with
typical British humour and wit. Dancy is charming, embodying
the spirit of a younger Hugh Grant and Gyllenhaal is
convincing as the woman determined to throw off the shackles
of her male dominated society. Any criticisms tend to fall
along the lines of either it wasn't sexy (so then watch
something NC-17) to it only lightly touched on women's
rights issues (so then watch such uplifting fare as The
Accused). To them I say get bent! And appreciate Hysteria
for what it is, a thoroughly entertaining if somewhat breezy
film.

Cooper (of
course that would be his name) is a former NASA astronaut
who now enjoys life eeking out an existence tending his dust
covered crops. You see the earth is doomed (isn't it
always?) and it's getting increasingly difficult to grow
food. But thankfully one day he sees the face of Jesus in
some dust on the floor and jumps in his trusty pickup and
drives 90km/hr through cornfields until he conveniently
comes across a super-secret space facility which is about to
launch a rocket to search for a suitable planet in some
other galaxy to live on. So the rocket is prepped for launch
although no one there thought about who was going to
actually pilot the thing, so Cooper showing up just then was
super convenient cause hey he used to fly rockets like 20
years ago. So he then spends all of 2 minutes saying goodbye
to his daughter before taking off for certain death. Then he
and some other people no one cares about blast off and once
in space realize they are super advanced because although
they took off in a 60's era rocket have somehow mastered the
ability of cyrosleep, yet still manually dock with orbiting
space stations. So they check out a couple of planets and
fight a bad guy and then enter a black hole. I think at this
point I dozed off for a bit only to awaken to watch some
more ridiculous nonsense. I can't think of a movie hyped so
much which sucked so bad other than perhaps Star Wars Ep 1.
And don't believe the glowing reviews which are nothing more
than Batman fanboyz expressing their unfounded adulation of
director Christopher Nolan. It's obvious that McConaughey
should stick to his Lincoln commercials and that Nolan's
best days are behind him. Oh, and a slow clap for coming up
with probably the most stupid robot design I've ever seen in
a sci-fi film. I wish I could go into a wormhole and get
back the 3 hours of my life I just wasted watching this
crap.

As a young boy,
Eggsy (Egerton) learns the news that his father has died
serving for Queen and Country in an operation shrouded in
mystery. Before leaving, the man (Firth) who told his mother
this news gives him a pendant with a phone number on the
back. He tells him that should he ever be in trouble to call
it. Years go by and time has not been kind to his family.
Poverty and violence are the norm. One day while sitting in
jail after being involved in yet another fight he decides to
call the number and overnight his life changes. When I saw
the trailer for this I remember thinking it looked
interesting although somewhat odd. Unfortunately that
oddness continued throughout the movie. Full of humor one
moment and violence the next, the film never seems to know
what it wants to be. Is it serious? Is it a parody? Some
have said it's simply a reaction to the super seriousness of
the latest Bond films. Fair enough I guess, but for me the
combination just didn't gel. Not all was bad however.
I thought Samuel L. Jackson was hilarious in the role of the
bad guy. I was also pleased to see Mark Hamill return to the
screen. In fact, it took me awhile to recognize him. Egerton
was also excellent in his transition from street kid to
dashing spy as was Firth in the role of his mentor. And it
may be that I'm just getting old, but I was actually annoyed
by the non-stop F bombs. It wasn't in character for anyone
and did nothing for the story. For what it's worth the
audience seemed to love it. Me, not so much.

The tank crew of
Fury, a Sherman tank fighting through Germany during the
last days of WWII are a tight nit group. A bond forged
through their shared experiences and the horrors they've
seen. They are put to the test when one of them is killed
and the replacement is a young kid who's never seen combat
before. The tank commander must whip him into shape before
all of their lives are put in jeopardy. I'm a fan of war
movies. Specifically those that embrace realism over flag
waving and accuracy over story telling. Fury is one of those
movies and while I wouldn't put it up there with the likes
of Full Metal Jacket or Das Boot, it's an extremely powerful
addition to the genre. It does away with all the usual
pretenses - the US isn't necessarily the good guys, the
Germans not necessarily the bad guys. In the fog of war
there's not much difference between the two as they are all
just trying to survive. The fact that all of this takes
place inside the claustrophobic confines of a tank is
notable as I can't remember another film offhand where that
was the case. All of the actors give great performances but
the standout is Lerman who plays the baby faced new recruit.
My only issue was the climactic ending which while riveting
I found extremely unlikely - and therefore going against my original
criteria. Still, everything else more than outweighs that
one transgression. Finally, while I usually don't pay much
attention to the extras, the ones on this disc are exemplary
and make one appreciate the movie even more.

Thomas (O'Brien)
wakes up in an elevator that's ascending a
seemingly infinite shaft. Once he finally reaches the top he
finds himself forgetting his name and who he is and
surrounded by a bunch of teen boys who seem amused at his
disorientation. Eventually he discovers that they are all
trapped in a massive glade and the only exit is through a
foreboding labyrinth that only a select few called Maze
Runners are allowed to enter. If there's any hope of them
escaping he must break the rules and enter the maze. How to
describe this? Think Lord of the Flies meets The
Cube. Obviously I was enthralled with the concept. One
of those 'what's going on here?' type movies that I love so
much. While the story of reluctant hero rising above
adversity to save everyone has been done to death for me it
wasn't that big a deal as I was so invested in finding out
the mystery of the maze. That said, kudos for introducing
the female character and not having the typical love story
subplot dreck that seems to be mandatory these days. And
while most of the time is spent keeping the maze a mystery
and thus keeping the audience in suspense, when they finally
get in there I wish more time had been spent exploring that
world. Still, that's a minor quibble. Not having read the
book I can't comment on how closely the movie follows it,
but having seen the movie I definitely want to read the book
now. A pleasant surprise.

While in Tapei, Lucy (Johansson) is simply
supposed to deliver a mysterious case to an even more
mysterious Mr. Jang. Things go horribly wrong when she is
instead forced to be a drug mule and the drugs surgically
implanted in her begin to leak into her system. Director
Besson has made some terrific films - La Femme Nikita,
The Professional, The Fifth Element - truly great films.
Unfortunately, this is not one of them. Besides not making
any sense at all, my biggest issue was the suspension of
disbelief that's required when viewing any science fiction
type movie. In response to criticism of Lucy, others have
asked what's the difference between it and say spaceships
shooting lasers. Fair point, and I've been struggling to
define why I had such an issue with it. The closest I can
come up with is that it's premise is the sci-fi equivalent
of Alice eating the cake and growing really large. The fact
that they devoted much of the runtime highlighting a
brilliant brain researcher (Freeman) to give what was
happening to her a sort of legitimacy only made it worse.
Beyond that, even as an action film I found it rather
mundane. It had all the elements - Car chase, check. Guns
firing away, check. But it just didn't resonate with me. And
hottie Johansson, while lovely to look at, doesn't have the
presence or acting ability to rise above the rest of the
film. About the only good thing was the character of the
French cop (Waked) who owned the screen. Disappointing.